[imagesource: AP]

Johnny Depp took to the stand yesterday as part of his $50 million defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.

In late 2018, Heard wrote an opinion piece that was published in The Washington Post where she described her experience as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”. While she didn’t name Depp specifically, it’s obvious that she was referring to him.

In response to Depp’s libel case, Heard has hit back with a $100 million counterclaim against Depp.

The trial is taking place at Virginia’s Fairfax County Courthouse, and all eyes were on Depp as he responded to the list of accusations levelled against him by Heard and her legal team.

The BBC with more from yesterday:

Mr Depp began his testimony saying that Ms Heard’s claims are “not based in any species of the truth”.

His lawyer went on to ask him to describe his childhood in Kentucky, and the abuse that he suffered from his mother…

“I never struck Ms Heard in that way, nor have I struck any woman in my life,” he testified, adding that “her accusations sort of permeated the industry”.

“It’s been six years of trying times – so strange when one day you’re Cinderella, so to speak, and then in 0.6 seconds, you’re Quasimodo,” he said, describing how people’s attitudes towards him changed after Ms Heard’s op-ed was published.

Depp described his mother as “violent” and “cruel” and said her abuse included throwing ashtrays, high-heeled shoes, and telephones.

You can see some of what he said in this clip:

At one stage, the actor said, “Truth is the only thing I’m interested in. Lies will get you nowhere, but lies build upon lies and build upon lies. I’m obsessed with the truth.”

The issue of Depp’s drug-taking was also raised.

Heard has stated that the worst violence she was subjected to at Depp’s hands usually occurred when he was using drugs and alcohol.

This via The New York Times:

…Mr. Depp testified Tuesday that, while he had taken his first illicit drug as an 11-year-old dealing with an abusive mother, the account Ms. Heard has put forward about his drug use was “grossly embellished.”

He said he had become addicted to Roxicodone, an opioid, when he was prescribed it following an injury on the set of the fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, but that he had detoxed from that drug during their relationship.

“I am not some maniac who needs to be high or loaded all the time,” he said, adding that Ms. Heard’s friends, in fact, marveled at how little effect drugs and alcohol had on him.

Here he is chatting at length about his struggles with substance abuse:

Other key points from his testimony include:

• He admitted that he had arguments with Heard but denied ever hitting her
• He said the vulgar text messages he had sent about Heard were a result of using humour to deal with pain
• He admitted that while he knows the trial will be “embarrassing” he is “doing the right thing”

Those text messages include saying he hoped Heard’s “rotting corpse is decomposing in the f*cking trunk of a Honda Civic”. He also had a conversation with actor Paul Bettany about drowning Heard, adding “I will f*ck her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead.”

Regarding using humour to deal with pain, he cited his love for Monty Python and Hunter S. Thompson as contributing to the use of “expressive” words.

I’ve watched pretty much everything ever produced by Monty Python. Perhaps I missed that sketch about having sex with a burnt corpse to make sure it’s dead. Sheesh, what happened after the Dead Parrot sketch wrapped up?

Yesterday also saw Keenan Wyatt, a sound engineer who has worked closely with Depp for close to three decades, take the stand.

He stated that he had never witnessed Depp verbally or physically abuse Heard or his two children.

Depp’s testimony will likely continue today, and further down the line Heard is also expected to testify.

Today will be the sixth day of the trial, which is expected to last all of six weeks.

[sources:bbc&nytimes]